Faces in Cloth VI

February 2008
31 x 35 1/4

NFS

Working on a face using yellow is challenging to say the least. Yellow is difficult to photograph, and the values can easily be too subtle when viewed from a distance. I originally made the top for this piece last November — and then covered it for at least a month because I knew it wasn’t working and needed a major overhaul.

However, after I had spent a lot of time thinking about the piece and sharing it on my blog, it became clear what needed to change. Values had to be darkened, areas had to be highlighted & shaded more. This has been my most difficult face because I was not working with a great photograph, but I knew the subject fairly well, and her personality eventually came through.

I was most surprised that black didn’t play well with yellow. Black has always worked well in past pieces, but it was much too stark for this piece.

I quilted this piece more fancifully than previous appliqued faces. I wanted the quilting in the background to add more of a statement to the overall piece so I extended her personality outwards. Amy is one of those few, rare individuals in life that is truly an angel on earth. It only made sense to show that part of her personality.